Guns In National Parks Amendment

[Mango]

As part of the credit card reform bill, an amendment was snuck in to relax a ban on bringing loaded guns into National Parks also passed. The gun amendment reinstates a last-minute executive order by Bush.

I simply do not understand the need for this. If you can bring a gun on federal land, then why not prisons, the Treasury Department, et. al.?Where do we draw the line? Please don't tell me it is needed for protection because here are the stats for crimes in National Parks:

In the past year, there have been 41 rapes, 92 robberies, 16 kidnappings and 5,944 other felony violations in our national parks.
In January, a few days before former President George W. Bush left office, he implemented a rule allowing people to carry loaded guns into parks and wildlife refuges if they had a permit for a concealed weapon and the state permitted weapons in parks.
But in March, that was overturned by U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly and President Barack Obama chose not to appeal her decision.

Considering the largesse of National Parks and the millions of visitors to them, I hardly call these numbers staggering.

So when those pesky ants invade the picnic, gun toters have a choice vs. using a pocket knife for protection.

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[scooterbug44]

There is no reason to have a gun in a National Park.

That is all.

 

[6thGen]

If I'm going anywhere there might be snakes, I'm toting a handgun.

 

[GoodWitch58]

probably part of the banking lobby's strategy to "tie up" the bill. I understand the House version did not have the Amendment, so they are trying to figure out how to deal with it...

No more need for guns in National Parks than for hunters to have AK-47s or M-16s!

 

[Winnie]

There is no reason to have a gun in a National Park.

That is all.

If I'm going anywhere there might be snakes, I'm toting a handgun.

Snakes, bears, rabid animals...many reasons to camp with a gun in the wilderness. Why not carry a gun?

 

[scooterbug44]

Snakes, bears, rabid animals...many reasons to camp with a gun in the wilderness. Why not carry a gun?

Because you don't need one!

I have never carried a gun in all my years of wilderness trips - even in areas where there were bears. Unless you are messing with their cub or food you are safe from a bear - even those conditioned by idiots to think of humans as food sources.

Using your brain would go much farther in keeping you safe from the aforementioned "dangers" - a concept usually lost on would-be gun toters. :roll:

Amazing how park rangers - who are in the parks 24/7 - don't need guns but a visitor does.

 

[Winnie]

Because you don't need one!

I have never carried a gun in all my years of wilderness trips - even in areas where there were bears. Unless you are messing with their cub or food you are safe from a bear - even those conditioned by idiots to think of humans as food sources.

Using your brain would go much farther in keeping you safe from the aforementioned "dangers" - a concept usually lost on would-be gun toters. :roll:

Amazing how park rangers - who are in the parks 24/7 - don't need guns but a visitor does.

That's no reason.

We don't need most things, but are free to choose what we want to have, not just what we need. This is a great country!

 

[6thGen]

Snakes, bears, rabid animals...many reasons to camp with a gun in the wilderness. Why not carry a gun?

It only works if you start with the premise that gun owners are dangerous and work backwards from there. A handgun won't do you much good against a bear though. I've also seen park rangers carrying sidearms. Obviously they were the ones with two digit IQs.

 

[scooterbug44]

Yes, it is a reason and a damn good one.

We outlawed carrying guns in national parks in 1930 to combat poaching.

No dangers exist in our national parks that you would need to carry a gun for - thus there is no reason to change this rule and allow you to carry one.

Park rangers carry sidearms for law enforcement purposes, not for protection from marauding wildlife.

 

[barefootguy]

Oh great, now we'll have hundreds of folks pulling over and getting out of their cars to take pictures of some poor critter, and some guy shooting it if it moves. Then someone else shooting that guy for shooting the poor critter.